Ratchet's Surprise
by Aquaformer
Summary: A little story that is an offshoot of Starscream's Sparkmate. I do not own transformers. Poor Ratchet.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, they are owned by Hasbro. Slugbug, Kryptonight, Blueblast, Bluebolt, and Lawnmower are my creations. Some slash here, but nothing too blatant. No like – no read. This is strictly a fan fic. No flames or harsh comments. Constructive criticism welcome. Enjoy.

Ratchet (G1, with a little of TF Animated's personality) was finally done for the day. As always, he was crabby as this was the day the twins Sunny and Sides (both G1) had ended up in his med bay for repairs. Fortunately for Ratchet his son, Red Alert (armada) helped the grumpy old bot fix the two troublemakers so that they would in and out of the med bay a lot sooner. Red Alert, after the twins left, told his father, Ratchet, to leave and enjoy spending time with Ironhide, as Red knew that Ratchet would love to spend time not only with 'hide, but also with all his little grand-sparklings. Ratchet begrudgingly left the med bay, sent out by both First Aid and Red Alert. Not wanting to fight the united front, the grumpy old medic left the med bay to spend time with his sparkmate and his grand-sparklings.

Once Ratchet reached the quarters he shared with his sparkmate, Ironhide, Ratchet could hear several voices, and knew that Optimus had already brought Ratchet's grand-sparklings to spend times with their grandparents. Ratchet knew the reason that he and Ironhide were watching the little ones was because their creators/parents were going to be busy tonight. Their mother, Red Alert (armada) was going to be in the med bay with First Aid, and Optimus Prime, their father and Red Alert's sparkmate, was going to work on setting up things for a party in honor of Slugbug and Kryptonight to celebrate the oldest sparklings as they turned 5 earth years old in a few days. Still extremely young by Cybertronian standards, but it would be a momentous occasion as those two twins were the first ones born just after the war ended.

Ratchet entered the code to his quarters, and the door slid open quietly. But before ratchet could make it too far into his and his sparkmate's quarters, four little sparklings came to tackle the older medic, to give him a hug. Sideways, Blueblast, Bluebolt, and Lawnmower all wanted to be the first to give Grandpa 'atch a hug. Ratchet looked down at all four little sparklings, now standing at his feet. Ratchet remembered delivering the youngest three and he remembered transferring Sideways spark from the old abused bot to the young sparkling now running around. Ratchet could tell that little Sideways remembered nothing of his past, which both made the medic happy and sad. Ratchet then shook his head, returning his thoughts to the present, and scooped up a 4 little ones, who giggled with delight. At this, even the grumpy old bot had to smile. The only thing that made ratchet smile more than spending time with his grand-sparklings, was sharing precious moments with his sparkmate, Ironhide.

Ratchet carried the four curious little sparklings further into the quarters he shared with his sparkmate, noticing that all four of them were hugging him in return. Ratchet, once able to get inside and close the door set the little sparklings down, who ran off quickly in search of something, what the medic could only guess. But after watching the little ones run off, Ratchet approached his sparkmate, Ironhide, and greeted the bot with a big bear hug and a kiss on the lips. Ironhide was a little surprised, but soon melted into the affection so rarely seen in his mate, except by him and their closet family members. Ratchet had gotten so into that Ironhide had to remind the medic that the little grand-sparklings were here. Ratchet begrudgingly stopped his ministrations on Ironhide, but told his sparkmate that they would continue later that night, after Optimus and Red had picked up the little grand-sparklings. Ironhide, slightly horny, could and could not wait at the same time.

So, after watching the grand-sparklings for a bit, Ratchet found that the four little ones had come up to him, asking him to tell them stories. Ratchet, unable to deny the requests of his little grand-sparklings, gathered up the little ones and sat them on his lap. Lawnmower had a little trouble, but with some help from Ironhide, even this little one was able to sit on Ratchet's lap to enjoy story time. Sideways was quiet, which was not uncommon for the developmentally challenged sparkling, but Blueblast knew his older brother well, and knew which stories the little bot would want to hear, and so Blueblast began to ask Ratchet to tell many different stories. Ratchet, enjoying the time, sat with his grand-sparklings and told them tale after tale. Some of the tales were about Red Alert growing up, some were about Ratchet and Optimus when they were younger, and others were about Cybertron. Ratchet, being the old war medic that he was, did everything in his power to avoid telling any kind of war stories to the precious little sparklings. It did not take too long before all four little bots were deep in recharge.

A few hours later, Red Alert and Optimus came to pick up their little sparklings. Ratchet and Ironhide handed Sideways and Blueblast to Optimus while handing the twins, Bluebolt and Lawnmower to Red Alert. All four sparklings were deep in recharge. Optimus and Red thanked Ratchet and Ironhide for watching their sparklings, before bringing all four little ones home. Now that the little ones were gone, Ratchet and Ironhide were left to enjoy each other.

Ironhide and Ratchet kind of regretted not having another sparkling, other than the now grown medic Red Alert. Ratchet could tell that 'hide was in that playful mood, and so the medic lead the way to their shared berth, both ending their night on a high note after spark merging and overloading, before finally falling asleep in each other's arms. Little did either know what that spark merging would do to the medic.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, they are owned by Hasbro. Kryptonight is my creation. This has some slash in it, but it is not too blatant. No like – no read. This is a pairing of Ironhide and Ratchet and their poor son, Red Alert (from TF armada) has to help out. This is strictly a fan fic. No flames or harsh comments. Constructive criticisms welcome. Enjoy.

Ratchet awoke the next morning, tired but feeling more recharged than he had. Ratchet woke to see Ironhide lying down right next to him, still offline. Ratchet, not wanting to wake his sparkmate tried to get out of the berth when he realized that his sparkmate had a strong grasp on him. Ratchet could tell that Ironhide was not going to let go anytime soon, and so, the medic continued to lie there, but soon fell back into recharge. For some unknown reason, Ratchet was more than content to just stay there and spend time with his sparkmate. As Ratchet resettled back into recharge, he had no idea of what was to come.

(a month later)

Ratchet was going about his business about the med bay. The med bay was not as busy as it had been when the wars were going on, but Sunny and Sides still ended up in the med bay more often than the older CMO would like. Ratchet was sick of the two grown bots acting like sparklings, and was even more upset as Ratchet noticed that Kryptonight was taking after the troublesome twosome. It was not that Ratchet thought that Starscream and Hotshot were bad parents, it was just that Ratchet knew that the two sparkmates were overwhelmed and having Kryptonight mimicking the older twins spelled disaster, not just for the twins, but also for the little sparkling who still was growing into his armor plating.

While Ratchet was going about the med bay, he suddenly began to get more emotional than usual. No he was not grumpy, he was upset. Over what, he had no idea, but the tears began to form in his optics. He was tired, frustrated and felt underappreciated. Red Alert, who was working with his father, noticed the change and immediately sent for Ironhide to take Ratchet out of the med bay. Something was very wrong and having Ratchet in the med bay so emotional was a danger to Ratchet and any bot that might enter the med bay for repair. Ironhide came and drug the emotional Ratchet out of the med bay.

Ironhide was extremely concerned as his mate had been having weird mood swings. Yes, Ratchet got grumpy at times, but this went beyond that. Ironhide laid his sparkmate down in their shared berth, very concerned at Ratchet's condition, as Ratchet immediately fell asleep. Ironhide, very concerned for his sparkmate, immediately called their son, Red Alert (armada, the medic) to come and check on Ratchet. Red came quickly, as he realized that his father might be having any type of complication. Red was also concerned as he never knew his father to be as emotional as he had been.

When Red arrived at his parents/creators quarters, Ironhide let him in. Red immediately went to check on Ratchet with the equipment Red had brought with him. Ironhide, very concerned, hovered nearby as Red checked Ratchet. All systems appeared normal. Red asked his "mom" when the last time he and dad interfaced, even though the question slightly embarrassed the younger bot, as he did not want to picture his parents interfacing, that was just plain wrong. Ironhide told Red that they had interfaced with spark merging about a month ago. The only thought that went through Red's mind was Oh Shit.

Red, having found nothing else wrong, went to check his father for the presence of an unborn sparkling, which he did not tell Ironhide as Red wanted proof before he made any pronouncements. Ironhide, being unfamiliar with the medical equipment had no idea what red was doing or what he was looking for. All 'hide hoped was that their son would be able to help his dad.

Red scanned his dad and then scanned his dad again. No, this cannot be, thought Red, and so the young medic scanned his father several more times, each time coming up with the same result. Red swallowed as this was not going to be easy for any of them to take. Red, saying nothing, slowly put away the equipment, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to have to tell his "mother."

Ironhide, noticing a sudden change in Red Alert, knew that the young medic had found something, but judging by the look on the young bots faceplate, Ironhide could tell Red was struggling with how to phrase what he found. Ironhide, worried that Ratchet was having spark problems, began to cry, assuming the worst. However, before 'hide could start leaking energon, Red hugged the older bot. Ironhide was thoroughly confused.

Red looked directly into Ironhide's optics, just as he had the day he was born. Red knew that he had to let his mom know the truth.

"Mother" started Red, "please don't cry, Dad is going to be fine, he is just a little moody right now."

Ironhide was relieved, but could tell there was something that Red was not telling him. And so Ironhide demanded to know what the young medic found during the examination. And Red let out a big "sign" before continuing.

"Mom, dad is pregnant. Not only pregnant, but pregnant with multiples, although how many, I was not able to tell. Mom, you need to help dad, he is pregnant with multiple sparklings." Red finally let the "cat out of the bag."

To say that 'hide was shocked was an understatement. Ironhide never knew that either one of the could carry sparklings. Now Ironhide could understand why Red was so touchy about telling him this. It is hard to tell one's "mother" that his sparkmate was pregnant with what were going to become the young medic's siblings. Red quickly left after giving the news, he needed to find Optimus, his sparkmate, as this was too much for the young medic to handle on his own.

Ratchet was still in recharge, while Ironhide looked at his sparkmate with a slight glint in his optic. Wow, thought 'hide, now Ratchet is finally going to understand how I felt when I carried Red Alert all those years ago. And with that thought, Ironhide curled up around his smaller sparkmate, falling into a peaceful recharge. 'Hide knew well enough that his sparkmate would need him even more now that ratchet was carrying multiple unborn sparklings.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, they are owned by Hasbro. There is implied slash here, but nothing blatant. No like – no read. No flames or harsh comments. Constructive criticism welcome. Enjoy.

Ratchet woke later, finally realizing that that he was no longer in the med bay, tried to get himself up. He tried until he realized that he was unable to move. His sparkmate's strong arms completely enveloped the mech, but Ratchet could not understand why. Ratchet, still pinned in, tried hard not to wake Ironhide, but was unsuccessful as he struggled to get out of the berth.

Ironhide, awaking and finding that Ratchet was trying to leave the berth, quickly tried to calm the medic down, as Ironhide knew something that Ratchet was yet to learn. Since Ironhide knew that Ratchet was pregnant, Ironhide did not want the medic to go to the med bay at least today because Ironhide knew that Ratchet needed to rest after what had happened just the day before. Even though Ratchet struggled, he was unable to get out of Ironhide's strong yet gentle grasp. Realizing the futility of continuing and feeling more tired than usual, the medic lay back down in the berth next to his sparkmate, and sensed that Ironhide knew something that Ratchet did not. Ratchet curled back up into Ironhide, hoping to learn the secret that Ironhide now withheld.

'What are you hiding from me' asked Ratchet through their spark bond.

'I am not hiding anything, dear' replied Ironhide, waiting to tell Ratchet the news. Ratchet looked into Ironhide's optics and saw something that he had never seen before. Uh oh, thought Ratchet, I hope nothing bad happened while I was out.

Ironhide, sensing that his sparkmate was getting fidgety, decided to "let the cat out of the bag."

' You are pregnant, dear' Ironhide told Ratchet, 'with multiples, but Red (armada medic) was unable to tell how many'

Ratchet was shocked. Never in a million years did he ever think that he would be carrying sparklings. After the shock wore off, Ironhide could see Ratchet's expression lighten and Ironhide knew that Ratchet was looking forward to having more sparklings. Ratchet, now understanding why he was moodier and why he needed more sleep now understood why his sparkmate did not let him leave the berth that morning. Ratchet needed his rest.

(a couple months later)

Ratchet was now starting to show, and he hated it. The morning sickness, the stiff joints, the moodiness, everything. Now he finally understood how Ironhide felt when he carried Red Alert to term all those years ago. Ratchet, only being 3 months along, was not incredibly big, but big enough that he already felt like a blob and he knew he had about 7 more months to go. Red Alert still let his dad in the med bay, but he always kept a close optic on him. Red had secretly informed the twins Sunny and Sides not to prank the older medic as he was pregnant. The twins, out of respect for the unborn sparklings, promised to leave Ratchet alone. Besides, they could always go prank Skywarp anytime as he was not sparkbonded to any bot at the time. Poor Skywarp, now that the twins favorite target was out of bounds, they would drive the seeker even more nuts, but such is life.

Things were pretty uneventful at this time, as Red and Ironhide made sure that Ratchet was well taken care. Red Even told his sparkmate, Optimus Prime, that Ratchet was expecting. All Optimus could do was nod, as these new sparklings would not only be the same age as his own, but they would be his brother and/or sister in law, even though Optimus was old enough to be Red alert's dad. Oh well.

Ratchet, already having been a moody bot became even moodier as his pregnancy went along. Due to Red's insistence, the older medic was frequently checked by Red Alert. The sparklings were developing at a healthy rate so far, but that might not always be the case.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, they are owned by Hasbro. This has implied slash but nothing really blatant. Yes, we find out more about the sparklings that Ratchet is carrying. If you don't like slash, or M preg, don't read this. This is strictly a fan fic. No flames or Harsh comments. Constructive criticisms welcome. Enjoy.

A couple months later

Ratchet was now five months along, and starting to show considerably. And his mood swings were even worse than before. About the only bots who could withstand the mood swings were Red Alert, Ratchet's son, and Ironhide, Ratchet's sparkmate, and occasionally Optimus Prime, who was Red Alert's sparkmate. Most of the other bots, including Optimus Prime, walked on eggshells around the volatile pregnant transformer. Red, concerned about his father, had ordered the older medic to be on bedrest. Ratchet hated it with all his being, but knowing that his son and his sparkmate were only doing what was best for the pregnant bot, he begrudgingly remained in his quarters, spending most of his time in the berth. Ratchet, once settled in the berth, realized that the formation of sparklings took more out of him than he realized. Ratchet, having been aware that he was pregnant for the last four months did everything he could to make sure that Red Alert would be able to run the med bay without a hitch.

One good thing about being pregnant that Ratchet realized was that while being pregnant was that no one pulled any pranks on the old bot and he did not have to see the troublesome Twins Sunny and Sides (G1 for both) who he was sure were in the med bay at this moment trying to get repaired for some prank that backfired. Either that or Prowl was throwing them in the brig. Either way, Ratchet was just glad that he was left alone. And with that thought, the tired medic fell into recharge.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Ironhide was cleaning up their shared quarters, as he knew that Red Alert (G1) was going to be doing an inspection soon, and Ironhide did not want Red to find something special the specialist had gotten for his mate because only Red, Ironhide, Optimus and Ratchet knew that Ratchet was pregnant, but it was not far enough along to tell the other bots about. Ironhide it in their bedroom, as 'Hide knew that even Red did not have the guts to go into a bedroom where Ratchet was sleeping, for fear of what the medic might do to the smaller security director. So Ironhide knew his little gift for Ratchet would be safe, and it was placed somewhere where Ratchet would not see it, should he awaken from his deep recharge.

Red Alert, the security director, came and went, the quarter inspection complete, and, as Ironhide anticipated, Red refused to go into the room where Ratchet was recharging. Ratchet's temper was well known throughout the base, and Red knew better than to disturb the old medic. And so Red left, satisfied at what he found and did not find at Ironhide and Ratchet's assigned quarters. Ironhide only breathed a sigh of relief after the glitch-y, paranoid security director left. He did not want to have to explain about Ratchet's "delicate condition" to any more bots than necessary.

Meanwhile, after having left First aid in charge of the med bay, Red Alert, the medic, was home in the quarters he shared with his sparkmate Optimus Prime and their four little sparklings. The sparklings were all in a sound recharge as Optimus and Red talked about the implications and possible complications of Ratchet, Red Alert's dad, being pregnant with multiple unborn sparklings. They knew it was going to be difficult, but they also realized that soon, the other bots at the base would need to know before Ratchet completely shocked everybody with his distended abdomen.

Meanwhile, Ratchet was still deep in recharge, enjoying the pleasant dreams unknowingly contributed to by the unborn sparklings. In his dreams, he watches as some distant, small bots played happily. When he called out to him they all came running, but disappeared before reaching the older bot, still hiding their numbers. Ratchet, understanding the dream, smiled as he recharged, as his mind focused on the unborn sparklings growing inside him. He was lying down on his left side, as it was most comfortable due to his growing abdomen. And while Ratchet knew what was happening inside him, he still was in awe of what happened as he grew closer and closer to his due date.

Ironhide, due to the size of his sparkmate's belly, took charge of Ratchet's care and the "house chores" as Ratchet was getting to the point where he would have to remain on bedrest. 'Hide knew that Ratchet never liked to be laid up, but the older medic would soon have no choice as he would not be able to move by himself in just one to two months time. Ironhide, knowing how stubborn his mate was allowed the medic to do some things around the house, but not too much so that the sparklings would remain safe. Ratchet, although hating the restrictions, knew they were for his and the unborn sparklings own good, and so the older medic followed the restrictions imposed upon him.

Red came to check on his parents, knowing that pregnancy can lead to a lot of stress. Red had brought Optimus with him due to the fact that Optimus needed to ask when they were going to announce the pregnancy as many in the base were curious, but it was not Red or Optimus's news to announce. Ironhide and Optimus sat and chatted while Red went to check on his father. Ratchet was still out cold, but Red was determined to see if he could tell how many sparklings his father was carrying. Red quickly set up the equipment that he had brought with him. Ratchet, up until now, had not let Red see how many sparklings were in there, as Ratchet did not want it to go around that he was pregnant.

But since Ratchet was out in a deep recharge, Red was determined to figure out the question – just how many unborn sparklings was his dad carrying? Red scanned his father's swollen abdomen and then scanned it again, and again. After scanning it for the 5th time, Red Alert was slightly alarmed at what he found. Ratchet was carrying multiples, but it was two sets of twins. Ratchet was carrying 4 unborn sparklings, something that had never been heard before in all of Transformer history, but with Ratchet being a much older bot – it did not completely surprise the young medic. Red quickly put the equipment away before heading out to talk to his "mom" Ironhide and his sparkmate Optimus.

When Red informed the two of his findings, there was absolute silence although with absolute shock, though it was much harder to see on Prime's face, as his battlemask covered most of his expression. No one said anything for what felt like hours, but in reality was mere seconds. Optimus was the first to regain his composure and ask Red if Ratchet would be ok. Red said that his father would be fine, but that they would have to keep a close optic on the old bot. Ironhide said nothing, but instead ran to his sparkmate to check him out before making the important decision. Ironhide came back as quick as he had left, and informed both Red and Optimus that Ironhide would make an announcement to the crew about Ratchet. Optimus and Red were glad, but all were worried about Ratchet, would the old bot make it through? With five more months remaining, only time would tell.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, they are owned by Hasbro. No blatant slash, but it is implied. No like – no read. Ratchet is now close to giving birth. No flames of harsh comments. Constructive criticism welcome. Enjoy!

3 months later

Ratchet was now laid up in the berth, as the quadruplets made him too unsteady on his feet to walk. It was only a couple months ago that Ironhide and Ratchet finally decided to tell the rest of the Transformers that Ratchet was indeed pregnant with multiples, though they did not say how many, as though they thought they knew, no one was for sure. Ratchet now mostly recharged most of the day and night as the unborn sparklings sucked the energy and energon right out of the old bot.

Since Ratchet was sleeping most of the time, most bots did not have to worry about his temper, but it still was not a good idea to cross him. Red Alert, Ratchet's son, refused to allow his father to get up out of the berth. Only now did the older bot understand why. The extra weight was almost too much for Ratchet's old joints, but he still could stand for a couple earth minutes if he needed to, though any longer and he would pass out of the floor as he did not have the energy or strength to support so much extra weight for any longer than very short periods of time.

Ironhide watched as his normally independent sparkmate grew more and more dependent on those around him, especially on his sparkmate, Ironhide. Ironhide could not believe how big his sparkmate was getting and Ironhide was extremely worried as he remembered that both Red and Ratchet had told him that quadruplets was unheard of in the Transformers universe. Ironhide could only hope that all the parties involved survived the birth and the delivery of the unborn sparklings, which were not due for a couple months, but Ironhide knew, thanks to having medics in the family, that with multiples, ti was more than likely that the old bot would give birth sooner rather than later.

Red Alert and Optimus were extremely concerned about Ratchet. Red checked on his father daily, if not twice a day to make sure that his father and his unborn siblings were still on track. Optimus was left watching his and Red's sparklings while Red checked on his father. Optimus could only hope that everything would turn out ok, but this was unknown territory, just like when Melissa had her sparkling-child, Izach/Zippy. Ratchet was a tough old bot, that much Red, 'hide, and Optimus knew, but 'hide and Red were hoping that Ratchet would be able to survive the pain of giving birth.

At the end of another long day, Ironhide curled up with his sparkmate, Ratchet, who still was deep in recharge. Ironhide was careful to watch out for the energon drip that Red had set up to make sure that Ratchet got enough energon to not only function but to help the unborn sparklings develop properly. Red wanted to make sure that none of the unborn sparklings would have a glitch as the older Red Alert was glitch-y enough for everybody.

It was during the middle of that night that Ironhide was awoken by a strange feeling, like something was running down his legs. He sat up in the berth and checked the energon drip, and found it still running. He then used his own lights, as he did not want to wake up his sparkmate if it was nothing, to search the room. He did not see anything until he gazed at Ratchet and the berth. Ratchet, still in recharge, had begun leaking oil. Oh shit, thought Ironhide, not tonight, not now. But whether he liked it or not, the little sparklings were not going to wait any longer. Ironhide woke up Ratchet and alerted Red and Optimus that Ratchet was going into labor. The only thing was, how were they going to get the heavily pregnant bot to the med bay before the sparklings were ready to pop out?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, they are owned by Hasbro. Orangecrush, Freedom, Sunburst, Blue Alert, Blueblast, Bluebolt, Lawnmower, and Slugbug are my creations. This has implied slash, but nothing blatant. M preg. No like – no read. Ratchet giving birth – oh my. This is strictly a fan fic. No flames or harsh comments. Constructive criticism welcome. Enjoy!

A couple weeks later

Ratchet was once again sleeping in the berth, his sparkmate, Ironhide, was curled up around the pregnant mech, a position usually held by Ratchet, but now held by 'hide as Ratchet was the pregnant one this time. Ironhide awoke to a sudden sensation, though Ratchet still remained offline. Ironhide knew that their son, Red Alert, had stayed in their quarters in case something should happen and Optimus was on alert in case he was needed as well. Ironhide looked around the room, wondering what was going on, and what that strange feeling on his legs was. Once Ironhide's optics adjusted to the poorly lit room, he was able to see what was bothering his legs – oil. That meant only one thing, Ratchet's sparklings were ready to come out, whether Ratchet was ready or not.

Ironhide quickly went into the other room and woke up Red Alert, alerting the medic that Ratchet was about to give birth to his quadruplets. Red commed ahead to First Aid and told the medical assistant to prepare the surgery room as Ratchet would need to have all four removed by c-section as Ratchet was in too deep a recharge to try and push the unborn sparklings out. First Aid quickly cleared out the medical bay and prepared the surgical suite for the imminent arrival.

Meanwhile, Red called on Optimus to help get the old medic on a cart so that they would be able to move the older bot without harming him or the unborn sparklings. Optimus, Red, and Ironhide needed all their combined strength to lift the heavily pregnant bot onto the cart that Optimus had brought with him. Thankfully for all of them, Ratchet remained in recharge as opposed to having a moody fit. They did not want to have to fight with him especially since the sparklings were coming. Then the three bots wheeled the heavily pregnant Ratchet down to the med bay, still unaware as to what was going on.

First Aid met them at the med bay and immediately brought the cart into one of the surgical suites. It took all four of them to transfer the pregnant bot from cart to berth. Then, once Ratchet was transferred, Optimus and Ironhide stepped back as First Aid and Red Alert went to work. Red had to push the fact that this was his dad out of his mind in order to be able to reach the unborn sparklings.

After removing the white and red abdominal armor, Red was able to find all the sparklings, but it would not be easy to get them out. First, He removed a very large orange and green mech sparkling, which looked a lot like a young Ratchet only with different colors. Red, surprised at how large this little mech was, almost dropped him, but managed to hand the sparkling off to First Aid before that happened. Ironhide, seeing the little one, named him Orangecrush. Well, that was on down, three more to go, or so Red thought.

The next little sparkling to be removed had to have the energon line removed from around its little neck. This twin of the first one was just as big as the first one, but the coloration was Red, White, and Blue. This larger than expected sparkling looked like Ironhide, just the coloration was different. Ironhide had to think hard before he named this little mech. He thought and thought before he came up with the name Freedom. It only seemed fitting. Freedom was handed off to First Aid while Red went back in to the abdominal cavity to remove the other set of twins, who were smaller than those just born.

The first smaller twin he removed was a femme, purely pink in color, with white optics. Though white usually indicated faulty optics, it was not the case of this little femme, who could see as well as any other sparkling. Ironhide, surprised by the coloring, saw a little femme sitting there quietly, looking up at him. He named her Arcee, as the little one reminded him of the transformer comrade (think G1) he had lost during the war. It brought a tear to Ironhide's optics as he remembered his fallen comrade, but then he looked down and saw the little femme reaching out to him. All Ironhide could do was smile.

Red Alert was busy, "sweat" leaking down his warm body, but he knew he had one more to remove before he would be done. As he reached for what he thought was the last sparkling, he was astonished that under all the others, there was one more little sparkling, tiny, curled up, and not circulating air or moving. Red quickly handed the little yellow and green femme that he had just removed in order to reach this last little sparkling who had remained hidden all this time. Ironhide was looking at the yellow and green sparkling thinking of a name, and so did not realize that there was one more that Red Alert was desperately trying to save. Ironhide finally thought of a name for the little yellow and green sparkling, he named her Sunburst. As Ironhide gently laid Sunburst next to her siblings, he finally realized that Red had removed one more little sparkling, a mech.

Red had First Aid replace Ratchet's abdominal armor while Red went to save the little sparkling, no brother, he corrected himself. And that realization made the medic work all the harder, as he knew he could not let his little kid brother die in his hands, he just couldn't do it. And so Red worked hard for what seemed like hours, but in reality was minutes. Red tried everything, and it was not until he tried the dangerous spark rubbing that he got the little mech circulating air, moving, and engines revving. Red stared at the little one, it was blue and red like him. Red called the little one Squirt, but he did not figure the name would stick.

Red, having saved his brother, brought the runt back into the room to place it with the other newborn sparklings. Ironhide looked at this little sparkling and could only think of one thing. This little sparkling reminded the old bot of how he had given birth to Red Alert. Ironhide looked in amazement as this little runt had the exact opposite color scheme of Red Alert. And so Ironhide found the perfect name for the little unexpected mech, Blue Alert. Not original, but Ironhide did not care, he was just happy to have his family all there. The only thing left was to monitor Ratchet as he had not woken up during this time at all. First Aid had replaced on the abdominal armor, and so all that was left was to wait and watch to see when the old medic would come online again. Optimus left, as did First Aid, knowing that the family would like to be left alone and Optimus had his and Red's sparklings to go take care of.

Optimus returned home to see little Slugbug watching Sideways, Blueblast, Bluebolt, and Lawnmower. Slugbug saw that Optimus had returned and after giving a quick update, Slugbug left. Optimus often had to wonder how Slugbug was always around when needed, but he pushed that thought from his mind when little sideways came out, wanting to be held. Optimus picked the little purple sparkling up and comforted him, while thinking about the little Sparklings that Ratchet just gave birth to, as those little one's would be Optimus's brothers and sisters-in-law. Sideways soon fell asleep in Optimus's lap, happy that daddy was back.

Meanwhile, in the med bay, Ratchet slowly came back online, wondering why in the hell he was in so much pain. His optics flickered a few times, before completely coming online. After his optics came online, he realized that he was in his own med bay but he could not understand why. As he looked around the room he saw his son, Red Alert, and his sparkmate, Ironhide, looking at something that Ratchet could not see due to the other two bots being in the way. Ratchet, tried to sit up but was unable to, due to too much pain. The yell he let out made the other two bots jump and then turn around. They looked to see that Ratchet was trying to get up, and could tell he was curious as to why he was in the med bay. Red, still checking on the newborn sparklings, did not say anything, but Ironhide informed his sparkmate what had happened.

Ratchet was shocked. He had slept through the delivery of his and his sparkmate's precious sparklings. Ironhide helped Ratchet get up out of the berth so that the older medic could see all the sparklings he had given birth to. Ironhide introduced the sparklings to their father and their much older brother. Ratchet learned of what his sparkmate had named the five little ones, but was taken aback when he was told that there were five. Red explained that the little runt had hidden under the others so well that he was never picked up by scanning. And so Ratchet met little Orangecrush, Freedom, Arcee, Sunburst, and Blue Alert. Blue Alert was so little he could easily fit into one of Ratchet's large hands. Ratchet looked down and smiled down upon his and his sparkmate's little sparklings. They had wanted more and now were able to once again enjoy sparklings around their knees.


End file.
